A group of Allentown, Pa., residents wants to rezone approximately 700 acres, 140 of which are owned by the club, from semi-rural to rural. The club argues that the value of its acreage, which includes its golf course, would be dramatically decreased by the change.
A request by a group of Lower Macungie Township residents to rezone approximately 700 acres in the eastern part of the township—a move to reduce the density of future housing development in that area—is getting opposition from Lehigh Country Club, which owns more than 100 acres in that area, the Lehigh Valley, Pa.-based Morning Call reported.
Jim Martin, the President of the Allentown, Pa., club, sent a letter this month to the Board of Commissioners saying the value of the club’s roughly 140 acres, including its golf course, would be dramatically decreased by the change, the Morning Call reported.
The zoning change was prompted by a developer’s recent proposal to build a community of 138 homes for residents 55 and older in the area. Martin, also Lehigh County’s district attorney, wrote that the club “strongly objects” to the residents’ proposal. The country club, which has 600 family members, also owns 74 acres in adjacent Salisbury Township, the Morning Call reported.
“Lehigh Country Club has no intention to change the use of its property, but the proposed rezoning would result in an unnecessary, negative impact on the value of the property and the flexibility that should be available to coming generations,” Martin wrote. “Most importantly, there is simply no reason to rezone Lehigh Country Club’s property. The Board of Governors and membership have demonstrated their commitment to the community by maintaining an attractive and environmentally preserved area.”
A number of residents, including former township Commissioner Deana Zosky, have proposed that land currently designated for suburban and semi-rural residential uses be rezoned to rural, a change that would require a larger minimum lot size for homes and therefore limit the number of houses that could be built, the Morning Call reported.
Zosky has said it would ultimately lead to fewer homes, less traffic congestion, less flooding and less pollution of the Little Lehigh Creek. The land is in an area previously targeted for homes by K. Hovnanian Homes and Hallmark Homes Group, the Morning Call reported.
The two companies wanted to build 138 homes on about 54 acres known as the Farr Tract at Cedar Crest Boulevard and Lower Macungie Road. That proposal rankled neighbors, who hoped to prevent what they saw as a threat to their quality of life in an already congested area. Currently, the developers would be allowed to develop homes on a minimum lot area of 12,000 sq. ft., the Morning Call reported
If it were changed to rural, the minimum lot area would be 2 acres, meaning the maximum number of homes on the 54 acres would be reduced to 27, the Morning Call reported.
Attorney Timothy Siegfried, who represents the owners of the Farr property, previously voiced opposition to the proposal. A committee of the township’s Board of Commissioners last month agreed to forward the request for further review by the full five-member board, which has not taken any action. Commissioners have not been inclined to approve zoning changes in recent years, preferring instead to wait for completion of a smart growth plan, the Morning Call reported.
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